To be or not to be…

Just kidding – we’re not even touching that guy.

Poetry can often be one of those, “Oh no. Not again.” topics to tackle in the classroom. But I am CONVINCED we all have an inner poet just looking for the write format (pun intended) to bare our souls.

While reading and analyzing poems can provide one set of difficulty, for many students, writing can present an even greater challenge.

Here are some easy, accessible poetry types that can be adjusted and tweaked regardless of what time of year your poetry unit is scheduled.

Acrostic

An acrostic is one of the most straightforward types of poetry BUT it’s complexity can be increased depending on how you approach it.

On a basic level, the writer chooses a word. Each line of the poem starts with the letters of the word. So if the word is FREE for example, you would have to write a four line poem with line one starting with the letter F, line two starting with the letter R, and lines three starting with the letter E.

The lines themselves can be one simple word, or can be turned into short phrases or possible even a sentence. Check out the sweet acrostic I wrote on the right.

Haiku

Ugh, I just love me a Haiku. Japanese in origin and generally rooted in nature (see what I did there?), Haiku may look simple but have a depth that can be hard to match.

Structurally speaking, Haiku is rigid. It is organized into three lines with each line having a specific number of syllables. Line one has five syllables, line two has seven syllables, and line three has five syllables.

Often Haiku focuses on a sudden revelation or sense of knowing…usually presented in the last line.

Limerick

I love this poetry type – especially for upper grades – because it is by nature supposed to be humorous…maybe even a little naughty. Both of these things are MADE for middle school ;). Also, a limerick is written in one single stanza which makes it seem less complicated.

Here’s the bad news – – it is more complicated than it’s one stanza image. Similar to a Haiku, a limerick has structural requirements based on syllables. Lines one and two must have 7-10 syllables, lines three and four are to have 5-7 syllables, and line five is back to 7-10 syllables.

Additionally, this poem must rhyme. It has a rhyme scheme of AABBA. When I sat down to write a limerick examples, I started by thinking about something that would be funny and potentially embarrassing. How’d I do?

Concrete

A concrete poem is perfect for our visual besties – – the people who connect with their eyes and their art. This poetry is sometimes referred to as visual poetry. Basically it uses nonlinguistic font, spacing, shape, etc in order to convey meaning.

What that means is the words of the poem are situated in such a way that an image that matches the topic, subject, or tone of the poem is also created.

Another beautiful thing about a concrete poem is that no meter or rhyme is necessary. Check out mine.

Sonnet

Here we are, back to Shakespeare. I know earlier I said we wouldn’t touch him…to be honest I forgot about this part.

A sonnet takes two main formats: Shakespearean or Petrarchan. This type of poetry has a lot of rules but because of it has a specific rhyme scheme, it ends up being pretty easy on the ears.

A Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains (4 line stanza) and a couplet (2 line stanza) and uses an ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG rhyme scheme.

The Petrarchan sonnet has a different format. Two stanzas only: one octave (8 line stanza) and one sestet (6 lines). The rhyme scheme here is ABBAABBA/CDCDCD or CDCDE.

The particularly attention grabbing part of a sonnet is the volta (a turn). This is where the topic or question that is presented in the first lines of the poem is finally addressed or answered.

This is a great format to use for your kiddos who love a challenge or need one (you know what I mean). Above is my attempt.

Ballad

Ah, the ballad. It tells a story. Otherwise known as a narrative poem, it also has a melodious rhyme scheme (this makes the poem sound musical). It can vary in length but is organized into quatrains (4 line stanzas).

Each quatrain uses the ABCB or ABAB rhyme scheme most commonly. This one was actually one of the easier poems for me to write. I think in some cases having a structure to build on can make the writing process more manageable.

The key here I believe is identifying the topic to focus on and finding ways help the reader capture it from the writer’s point of view.

Free Verse

Not to be confused with the next type of poetry in the list, Free Verse poetry very specifically DOES NOT HAVE RHYME SCHEME OR METER – hence the name: Free.

A free verse poem can vary in length and the topics are endless. It continues with its free quality in its structure as well. It can be organized into stanzas of pretty much any length…including simply one long, singular stanza.

With free verse, writers might also make ample use of varying types of punctuation and font styling to get their point across.

Blank Verse

Blank verse is like free verse in that it can be about pretty much anything and it can vary in length. On the other hand, blank verse has some rules. One – it is written in unrhymed, metered lines.

Metered? Most often it is written in iambic pentameter which is a line of verse composed of 10 syllables arranged in five metrical feet (iambs), each which consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

Your students may need several examples of this in order to produce their own…or maybe iambic pentameter is the rhythm of their soul and it’ll just happen naturally 😉

I am

As far as I can find through research, the first original “I am” poem was written by a nineteenth century poet named John Clare. Check out the poem here. Since then it has been adapted numerous times by all sorts of different people.

The reason I love an “I am” poem for upper grades is because its whole purpose is for the author to express themselves and feel truly KNOWN. This is, like, EXACTLY what teenagers are always looking for – – and adults in my opinion.

There are SO many styles and structures of “I am” poems that just one little google search will show you how many options you truly have.

I’ll share one of my own I am poems but if this idea strikes your fancy, check out my I am Poetry Choice resource. This resource provides FOUR different riffs on the “I am” poem and includes all of the supports students will need for the entire writing process (including an activity where they create a visual to pair with their poem).

As with most of my resources, I also include rubrics and assessment that basically make this a download and go resource!

Shameless Plug

If you’ve liked this blog topic or maybe you’re covering poetry just because, “You HAVE to.” I have several resources that will delight you. My big shtick is student choice, so these three products ALL CENTER STUDENT CHOICE. The first resource walks students through the acrostic, haiku, free verse and ballad poetry types. The second walks students through the limerick, concrete, sonnet, and blank verse poetry types. The third resource, heart of my hearts, is a poetry choice project focused SOLELY on the I am poetry concept (as described above).

Just click on the images and it’ll shoot you on over to TPT to claim them.

Looking to try something for FREE?! Don’t miss out on this POETRY CHOICE BOARD FREEBIE. This 6-page resource includes instructions, assignment templates, two choice boards, and a poetry style description page. Click on the link or on the image to the right to claim it.

Whether you use the freebie or any other resource of mine in your classroom, I’d love to hear how it goes. Leave me a review on your purchase (through TPT) or even share a post with me on Insta, Tiktok or Facebook.

Super appreciate your support as always.

Best of luck on your excavation project.